The Deserter and the Fugitive
by QuikSylver
Summary: A deserter and a fugitive... They were made for each other, no? Heath x Legault, mentions of others. Shonen ai, yaoi, no likey, no read. Rating may go up in future chapters.
1. Prologue

**Disclaimer: Do not own it.**

I suppose the only person I really own is the tactician, Dusk, but he's only mentioned in passing in this chapter, so no, I don't own it.

...Wish I did, though. Because then Eliwood would be able to die without causing a game over. In fact, if you made Eliwood die, you would get 5 stars for everything.

...He's such a useless character!! ...Ahem. On with the story!!

* * *

Heath sat quietly off to the side of the rag-tag army's camp, stoking his fire absently with a stick. 

His tent was pitched on the very outskirts of the camp, the very last one between the trees of the forest and the other tents.

Hyperion was curled in a semi-circle around its rider, asleep. He'd been flying the wyvern a lot lately, so it needed more rest than usual.

Satisfied with his fire-stoking, Heath rose and stretched, his back creaking slightly.

The wyvern lord glanced around, then started towards the trees. Usually the green-haired man preferred staying near his wyvern at all times, in case of an impending battle, but he felt strangely restless today.

He wandered about the forest for fifteen minutes or so, but it did little to calm him. His mind kept returning to a conversation he'd had earlier that day...

* * *

_Even during a lull in the battle, Heath was on his guard, ever wary of a surprise attack of some sort, even though Hyperion was resting._

_Which was partly what rankled him so when someone came up unheard behind him, and casually asked, "Is someone chasing you or something?"_

_Startled, he spun around, bringing his lance up automatically. Somewhat belatedly, he realised the speaker was an ally. "...Me?" he responded lamely, lowering his weapon slightly._

_The other man nodded. He was roughly the same height as Heath, with long lavender hair restrained by a dark bandanna and matching eyes. A thin scar ran from near the centre of his forehead, over his eye, almost to his jawline, and he was dressed all in dark colours._

_"You're going to tire yourself out staying on guard all the time," the man – Heath suspected he was a thief – remarked. "You look like a wyvern rider..." he continued, studying Heath. "You a deserter or something?"_

_Heath scowled. "Who..." He was about to say, 'Who do you think you are?' but it occurred to him that the man was just trying to be friendly. "Who are you?" he asked instead. "Are you a spy from the king? Or are you one of those Black Fang?"_

_That may have seemed a little harsh, but Heath was slightly annoyed by his sudden appearance._

_"Hey, relax," the man said quickly. "Yeah, I'm Black Fang, but--"_

_Without really thinking, Heath sprang forward at the mention of 'I'm' and 'Black Fang' in the same sentence. "Gah!" he exclaimed, but the man had already disappeared. "Huh? Where..."_

_"Right here," the thief said from behind him._

_"How?!" Heath spun again, lance raised defensively. "Knave!"_

_"It's all right, it's OK. Let's just calm down, OK? I'm Legault. I'm a thief, formerly with the Black Fang. I've got no connection to the fellows chasing you, so east easy!" Legault explained quickly, raising his hands to show he held no weapons._

_"...What do you want?" Heath demanded suspiciously. _

_"Nothing. You just looked so wound up... I thought I'd come over and lighten your mood," Legault replied._

_"It's none of your concern!" snapped Heath. As they had been speaking, the battle had recommenced, so he mounted Hyperion and flew off to fight._

_"Ah... Sorry. Thought I was being friendly, that's all," Legault muttered behind him, drawing his sword before rejoining the fray._

* * *

"Ridiculous," he muttered. Heath didn't need any more complications in his life! It was hard enough dealing with his and Hyperion's needs, and now this mysterious thief wanted to be his friend? 

The wyvern lord absently chewed on his upper lip as he mulled over the dilemma. He was content with the life he'd been forced into. He had Hyperion for company, what more could he possibly need?

* * *

Little did he know, contentment was far from happiness, and you couldn't be happy if you were lonely...

* * *

Author's Note: Hm... Rather brief. The later chapters will be longer, I just sort of needed this to get started. Yes... 

Also, I'm unsure whether I should _attempt_ a lemon...

It seems like... well, this probably seems pretty shallow, but blame the fangirl in me, but there aren't that many /decent/ lemons for FE. Unless you count the one where it turns out Lyn and Florina are actually (gasp!) guys, and then they proceed to screw each other. Spontaneously, Gheb from FE8 comes along, forces them to perform oral sex, but his orgasm explodes their heads. ...No. That's just wrong...

-spazzes and dies-

Anyhow, any comments, complaints, concerns? All_ constructive_ criticism is appreciated. Thanks!

-QS-


	2. Chapter 1

_**Disclaimer: Don't own it.**_ If I did, I'd have made Merlinus able to at least set mines or something. But no such luck. Ah well, his lack of fighting ability works out well in this chapter. I suppose I do own Dusk, the tactician, though.

Dusk: Elimine help me...

Me: Quiet, minion. -whacks him over the head with her imaginary bow-

Me: Oh yeah, be aware of possible OOC-ness. Thing.

* * *

The thief formerly known as "Hurricane" was at a loss, and a little depressed, not to mention disappointed. It was about an hour or two after dawn, and he was sitting in the mess tent, sipping a mug of coffee. 

Merlinus had just started cooking, and the tent was filled with the scents and sounds such action entailed.

Apart from Legault and Merlinus, the stoic nomad Rath and the irrepressible archer Wil were there as well, sitting at a table near the door, the archer chatting the Sacaen's ear off.

Seeing no one else to speak to, Legault rose and strode over to Merlinus.

"Hey," he said by way of greeting. "How goes the cooking?"

The merchant shrugged. "As well as can be expected. Here, try this." He shoved an apple in the thief's direction.

"...Thanks," Legault muttered, accepting the fruit. He ate it slowly.

"So, what's bothering you?" Merlinus asked, viciously beating something that Legault assumed was pancake batter.

"Uh, sorry?" Legault stammered, caught off guard by the perceptive remark..

"Well-" he'd moved on to some frying bacon now, "-usually people don't talk to me unless they feel, you know, bad about something, but they really just want me to listen, because I'm sort of timid around large groups and don't say much."

"Oh... Well, actually there's this man, and I was trying to just be friendly, because he looked pretty on edge, but I think I went about in the entirely wrong way, and he really didn't seem to appreciate the gesture," Legault explained in a bit of a rush. He wasn't sure why he felt so miserable though. Maybe because he'd already witness the organization he believed in crumble under corruption and evil, so this was just another disappointment – no, failure – on top of a tall pile?

"Hm. Maybe you should take it easy for a while, give him some space, then try again?" suggested the merchant, attacking an apple with a large and sharp-looking knife. In seconds, it was reduced to eight identical slices. Legault sweat-dropped a little.

"Yeah... D'you think Dusk would let me hang around and guard the supply tent during battle?" Legault asked.

"Oh, sure, as long as you don't mind hanging around Nino and Jaffar," Merlinus replied, dumping some scrambled eggs into a bowl.

"...Sure, it's fine," muttered Legault. He didn't care for Jaffar or his company, but he quite liked the green-haired girl that followed the assassin around. "Thanks." He tossed his apple core into the garbage pile and walked out to the supply tent; he needed so go get some new swords.

* * *

Heath was an early riser, usually not asleep past sunrise, but today was different. He'd been up late, troubled by Legault's casual conversation. The thief _was_ formerly of the Black Fang after all, so he probably couldn't be trusted anyway, but at the same time he felt he was being overly paranoid about the whole thing. There _were_ genuinely friendly people out there. But most of them weren't thieves/assassins. 

The wyvern lord shook his head and rubbed his eyes. This was just... too much. He wasn't even sure what bothered him so much!

Wearily, the man climbed to his feet and stumbled out of his tent, blinking in the early morning sunshine. He estimated it to be about 8 o'clock, so he hurried to the mess tent in the hopes of still snatching some semi-warm food.

He could have expected the outcome, but it still annoyed him when he got there and the only free spot was at Legault's table.

With a resigned sigh, Heath got his food and sat down beside Jaffar.

Of the people there, (Jaffar, Nino, Legault, and, oddly enough, Canas) the only person he'd actually spoken to during this campaign was Legault and, very briefly, Nino – she'd asked him where the supply train was during a battle several days ago. He tried to keep everyone's face and name memorised, to prevent any unexpected attacks, which was why he knew their names.

"Hello," Canas said, more out of courtesy than any desire to actually engage him in conversation, which suited Heath just fine.

Jaffar gave him a slight nod before returning to his conversation with Nino and Canas – if one person listening while the other two prattled on over each other could be called a conversation, but to each his own, Heath supposed.

"Hey," Legault said briefly, much to the wyvern rider's relief.

The green-haired man ate in silence, and left soon after he was finished, mumbling a farewell to the others at the table.

He was almost out when their tactician, Dusk, stalked in.

"Meeting," the man growled at Heath, who followed him back in.

"All right! I've just got the reports from our scouts and it doesn't look good!" Dusk yelled over the general hubbub. Everyone quieted immediately. "Farina has informed me that the pass we need to take through these mountains is blocked by enemy soldiers, mainly sword masters and myrmidons-" here he was cut off by Karel's loud, joyful shout. Dusk blinked several times and continued, "-so we need to be extra careful. I believe they're under the command of a Black Fang hero named Alyster.

"As well, Florina told Farina, who told me, that a sizeable force of magic-users is marching towards us from behind, so we'll have to be extra careful! Got it?!"

Karel cheered again. Everyone else murmured their assent.

"So, I've already made basic plans, and decided who's going to take part in the upcoming battle, as well as who's going to fight the magic-users _should_ the need arise," Dusk continued, glaring at Karel. He produced a roll of parchment and began to read.

"Front line: Lord Hector, Oswin, Sain, Kent, Wallace. Second line: Wil, Rath, Canas, Raven and Lucius. Reinforcements, rescuers, plunderers, healers, etc...: Eliwood-" Dusk paused and muttered, "Elimine knows what _he'll_ be good for!" so only Heath could hear, before continuing, "-ahem, Legault, Heath, Fiora, Serra and Karel." He stopped and looked up expectantly. Heath groaned inwardly, hoping Legault wouldn't try to strike up a conversation again. He was quite content being a loner-type.

"Aw..." Karel muttered, disappointed. No feast for Karel.

Dusk glared at the sword master. "It should be noted that I will _not_ tolerate any of those in the back row exchanging spots with those in the second row! It undermines my authority and I find it personally offensive!" He looked pointedly from Lucius to Karel. Someone, possibly Matthew, snickered.

"Continuing on... Oh, that was for the fight at the pass, by the way. Right. OK, here's the second group, in case the magic-users _do_ catch up to us: Front line: Raven, Lowen, Pent and Canas. Second line: Rebecca, Louise, Lyn and Priscilla. Reinforcements, plundering, blah, blah, blah...: Matthew, Guy, Jaffar and Nino. Oh, and Marcus will be guarding the supply train, i.e. Merlinus. Because he's annoying and ugly," Dusk added under his breath, again only audible to Heath.

Everyone sat in silence until Dusk barked, "Well?! Hurry up! D'you think those magic-users are taking a nap?! No!! They're trying to catch us on all sides, so HURRY IT UP!!" And he stalked off in a fit of tactical rage, his deep blue cloak fluttering impressively behind.

"..." said Jaffar and Rath in unison.

Heath shrugged and walked out to ready Hyperion.

His wyvern greeted him fondly, and he slipped it some left over bacon.

"He seems to like you a lot," someone observed. They wyvern lord glanced in their direction and saw it was Nino standing there.

"Yeah, we've been through a lot," Heath responded, moving to check how tight the straps of his saddle were. "It was usually just us, even when I joined Eubans' group. Can't trust too many people, you know?"

Satisfied with his saddle, Heath moved on to check whether he had his Delphi Shield and a vulnerary.

"Wow, that looks complicated. Can... may I pet him?" Nino asked hesitantly, studying the wyvern intently.

Heath cast a glance at Hyperion. In truth, the beast didn't mind other people, but Heath was tired of the conversation, afraid he'd already said too much about himself. "Actually, he doesn't really like anyone but me," he lied.

"Oh." Nino sounded disappointed. "All right. Well, I guess I'll see you around, then. Bye, Heath." She waved and scampered off to see Jaffar.

Heath half-heartedly raised his hand, then returned to examining his weapons. "Javelin? Check. Still about fifteen more uses, I'd say... Killer lance? Hm, almost broken. I'd better go get an iron or steel lance in case it does break," he mumbled to himself.

Kent rode up moments later. "We're moving out in fifteen minutes," he announced. The cavalier was, of course, already geared up and ready to leave.

"Ok, thanks," Heath answered, nodding.

Kent gave a salute - for reasons that escaped the other man – and rode away to inform the others of their imminent departure.

Heath hurried to the supply tent, passing Dusk and Eliwood who were having an argument behind a tree several tents from the supply.

"-don't see why you have to be so critical!" the red-haired, utterly useless Lord was saying to the black-haired tactician.

"Look, _Lord_ Eliwood, you can't baby someone when they're in an army!" Dusk growled back, dark grey eyes showing all of the tactical rage he was feeling towards the stupid Lord. "I mean, sure, it's a nice gesture, but it's impractical--"

"You didn't have to make her cry! Ninian's very sensitive..." Eliwood snapped back. "Anyway, I was 'babied' as you said, and I turned out fine!"

Dusk's expression said all too clearly how much he agreed with that statement. "It's not like I told her to stop dancing, I told her to stop following you around on the battlefield! And if you want my job, be my guest. "

Eliwood scowled. "But you're in Hector's employ."

"Exactly. Now go do you job so I can do mine!"

Without waiting for a reply, the tactician stalked off, as he seemed to do rather frequently. As he passed Heath, he winked.

Slightly disturbed, he continued on his way to the supply tent.

"Oh, um, yes? Why do you need, sir, um..." Merlinus mumbled timidly.

"Heath. Could I have an iron or steel lance?" he replied, somewhat impatiently. The argument between Eliwood and Dusk, though entertaining, had put him a bit behind.

"Um, all right." Merlinus disappeared into the tent, emerging several moments later with both a steel and iron lance. He held them out for him to choose.

"...Iron," Heath muttered, taking said lance. "Thank you."

"...Any time..."

Heath hurried back to his tent, uncomfortably aware that he still had to disassemble his tent and pack up his bedroll.

Hyperion, sensing the pre-battled tension, was waiting expectantly for its rider. Heath secured the newly acquired lance onto the wyvern's saddle and began to quickly pack up his things.

The trumpet call that signalled that group was moving out blasted through the air, although most people still hadn't even take down their tents.

Dusk strolled the lines of tents, gleefully screaming at everyone who didn't have their tent pack up yet.

"What's that you say?!" he could be heard bellowing at some poor soldier. "You didn't have enough notice?! What, are you carrying around all the swords of the people you've killed or something!? You should be ready to move out at all times!!"

Some random shouting, punctuated here and there by the words 'no' and 'feast', in that order, could be heard following Dusk's words, so Heath assumed it was Karel,

He stuffed his bedroll into one of Hyperion's saddle bags, but found he couldn't fit the tent as well. Scowling, he realised he'd just have to leave it with Merlinus today. He mounted Hyperion, impatiently urging him to take flight.

The wyvern gave two flaps of its bat-like wings and rose into the air. Its rider relaxed somewhat, but still remained on the lookout for archers and magic-uses, even if his Delphi Shield did protect him from the former.

"Land here," Heath muttered, urging the winged beast down near Merlinus' tent.

"Need something, um, more, sir Heath?" the merchant questioned nervously, eyeing Hyperion warily.

"Yeah, here's my tent," Heath explained, handing Merlinus the bag containing his rolled-up tent.

"Very good, sir Heath," Merlinus said without stammering timidly even once, despite Hyperion's sometimes fearsome presence!

"Yeah, uh, thanks." Heath nudged Hyperion gently, causing the wyvern to rise quickly in the air.

* * *

He wasn't sure how long the battle had raged. His arm ached, and he'd long ago lost track of how many enemies he'd killed. The weapons he'd started out with were all broken, and he'd had to return to Merlinus for another weapon. He'd lost his Delphi Shield and had been healed two times. 

The enemy troops had been at least three times the number that had initially been reported and it had seemed like the torrent would never end, but miraculously, they seemed to have won.

As Heath glided over the battlefield, he noticed a group of four surviving myrmidons and two sword masters about to launch an attack on the supply train, but Merlinus would be fine, Marcus, and Eliwood, whom Dusk had assigned there upon seeing the enemies numbers, were guarding him--

But the two Pheraens were nowhere to be seen. Heath bit his upper lip anxiously, expecting the two to pop out of the bushes or something and ambush the advancing sword fighters.

"Damn it!" he spat out, urging Hyperion into a dive as the first myrmidon attacked...

* * *

Legault ducked a clumsy swing from a heavily bleeding myrmidon and darted in for the kill, slashing the soldier's throat with a practiced motion. 

Dusk had ordered him to steal a Delphi Shield from their leader, Alyster, which was now tucked safely into his pouch, but the thief had been caught between two lines of enemies along with Karel, who'd been sent along to 'escort' Legault.

It was, the thief concluded, largely due to the bizarre swordsman that he was still alive, but that was probably the point. Dusk might not always seem like it, but he was actually a brilliant tactician, which let him get away with most of his stunts with Eliwood. He just had (according to some) a horrible personality, but that was generally due to his bluntness.

"Hey-" Karel said casually as he separated another sword master's head from his neck with a smooth, graceful motion, "-if you ever become an assassin, I think I would want to fight you." Another foe dropped as he clutched futilely at the gaping cut that spanned his stomach as his lifeblood flowed through his fingers to stain the ground red.

"Er, right then. Whatever gets us through this stupid battle," Legault replied, kicking some sand into a soldier's face, then slashing his throat.

"'Stupid'?" Karel echoed. "I wish I could do this everyday!"

As if on cue, his iron sword broke as he stabbed another opponent viciously.

"...Here." Legault quickly handed him the silver sword he'd also managed to acquire form Alyster. "I can't use it anyway."

"Thanks!" Karel literally bounced away, a steadily growing pile of corpses behind to mark his passage.

"...Right then. OK," Legault muttered, looking around for any lurking enemies, when a shadow passed over him.

He glanced up, but it was just Heath, diving towards the supply train. But wasn't it being guarded by Eliwood and Marcus...?

Legault ran as fast as his could, springing over bodies and around horses, yelling, "Merlinus is being attack, Karel!!"

* * *

"Help! Sir Marcus! Lord Eliwood!" cried Merlinus desperately as a myrmidon slashed at him. He ducked and the sword missed, although it did slice easily through the thin blue material of his tent. The sword fight sneered and raised his sword again, only to be impaled on Heath's lance. 

"To your right!" the wyvern lord exclaimed as he blew past.

Merlinus ducked away automatically, but that was what the grinning sword master had wanted. He threw the torch he'd been clutching in one hand straight into the open tent moments before Fiora cut him down.

The others had already been taken care of by Legault and Karel, but the tent was already up in flames.

"Someone put that fire out!! Salvage as much as you can! Serra, go see if Merlinus is all right!!" ordered Dusk in a bellow. "And where the _hell_ are Marcus and Eliwwod?! Elimine, you leave for one second and everything collapses into chaos...!" he grumbled as Canas, Oswin and Lucius attempted to use Pure Water, and (in Canas' case) a Flux tome (another experiment) to extinguish the fire.

Legault and Karel, who were the fastest units there, darted in as soon as the fire was put out and grabbed all the useful things they could carry.

It should be pointed out here that Legault's and Karel's idea of 'useful' differed greatly: the thief grabbed a steel sword, an elixir and some extra lock picks while the swordmaster snatched up two killing edges and a mine.

Legault scowled when he discovered he couldn't carry the picks _and_ the Delphi Shield, so he decided to give it to the first flier he saw.

That flier happened to be Heath. With a slight shrug, he tapped the man on the shoulder.

"Huh?" Heath turned. "What do you want?"

Legault pursed his lips. "Oh, very polite. Here, I thought you might need this." He handed the Delphi Shield to the wyvern rider and walked away.

* * *

Author's Note: Yes, excellent. Much longer than the prologue. -cackles- 

So, comments, thoughts, concerns? Maybe some _constructive_ criticism? All that is appreciated.

By the way, did you like Dusk? o.O;; I need to know, cuz, well... I dunno, I like making semi-evil characters that bash the useless units that sometimes appear on games.

Anyway, thanks for reading and all that. Kudos to you! ;)

QS


	3. Chapter 2

**_Disclaimer: Do not own it._** (Is it really necessary to post this every chapter? I mean, yes, between the time one and the next chapter are posted, someone's spontaneously going to buy the rights to FE. But, wait, um, no. I highly doubt it.)

I feel the need to point out right here that if I _did_ own it, Jaffar would say more than "..." 24/7. Periodically, he might say, "...?" or "...!", just to shake things up. xD

Oh, but I do own Dusk!

Dusk: ... -is afraid to say anything-

Me: Well?! Is that it?! I didn't give you the same personality as Rath or Jaffar! -raises bow menacingly-

Dusk: -runs off screaming to hide behind Serra-

* * *

Heath bit his lip as he walked along the winding mountain path. He'd temporarily allowed Hyperion some freedom so the wyvern could fly without the usual weight of its rider while at the same time hunting for a meal. 

The green-haired man was, well, confused. Why had the thief given him the Delphi Shield? Surely any of the three pegasi sisters or at the very least Vaida would have accepted it, so why Heath? Had he just been the first flier Legault had seen?

He shook his head, biting his lip. He was being irrational, putting too much thought into a simple gesture. The man had been firendly before, and he was just being friendly now. Yes, that was it. But... but why did he want it to be something more, why did he want the thief to have spoken to him out of more than passing interest?

Unnoticed, the thief in question fell into step beside him.

"Hey," he said.

"Hm?" Heath blinked, brought out of his reverie. When he was it was Legault, his expression darkened. Then man was causing him no end of trouble...!

"Uh-oh. Looks like someone hates me. What a pity," Legault drawled, grinning a little.

"You.. Your name's Legault or something, right?" Heath asked, like he hadn't spent most of the day thinking about him.

"Oh, so you remembered?" He sounded mildly surprised. "Hey, can I ask you something? You look like a wyvern rider, but... Why are you here?"

"You know the answer to that without asking, don't you? I'm a deserter from the knights of Bern," Heath answered, wondered what the thief was getting at.

"A deserter... So, why'd you desert?" the thief pressed, studying him intently.

"Who knows..." Heath muttered. "Maybe the plundering, the wholesale slaughter of innocent people..." He trailed off, remembering. "Those are both part of a deserter's pedigree, are they not?" he finished, raising an eyebrow.

"No, not you," Legault replied confidently. "Your eyes aren't so corrupt. You have pride. Your eyes tell me that you're sure what you do is right."

"Why... Uh..." Heath wanted to asked him why he cared.

"Hm?" Legault prompted expectantly.

"Why are you here?" he asked instead.

"Now that _is_ a long story. Put simply... I'm like you..." He paused, a sad expression on his face. "I fled from an organization, too," Legault explained.

"Was it the Black Fang?" Heath wanted to know.

"Yep. I'm a fugitive, and you're a deserter," he said, recovering his carefree mindset. "Looks like you and I were made for each other," Legault added with another grin.

"...Speak for yourself," Heath muttered, glad that, at that moment, Dusk walked up.

"Hello, lovelies," he said, unusually cheerful. A roll of parchments was clutched in one hand. "Looks like it's about to rain..." He frowned slightly. "Well, whatever. Heath, could you scout behind us? Check if we're being pursued and all that. I'd ask the pegasi sisters, but they're scouting ahead, and you know how Vaida can be... So, thanks!" He strolled past, picking his way back to harass the mounted units struggling there.

"...Better them than me," Heath mumbled. He looked to his side, but Legault was gone. The wyvern lord shrugged and have a shrill, piercing whistle.

About a minute later, Hyperion landed beside him. Heath quickly mounted and rose into the air, glad that the dark clouds hid the late afternoon sun from view.

As they flew back over the mounted units, rain began to fall...

* * *

It was evening. Somehow, they'd managed to make it to the pass without further mishap, though they were slowed not only by the rain, but by the horses as well. 

Everyone was cranky, so when the scouts reported a somewhat sheltered valley higher up, everyone jumped at the chance to get out of the biting wind that stole what little warmth they had left from the rain, so it raised morale considerably.

Dusk in particular was in an excellent mood. He'd found reason to tell off the Witless Wonder (coughEliwoodcough) not once, but twice! In one day! Yes, he was very, very pleased, although his mood was dampened somewhat by the fact that Merlinus and the supply tent would be out of commission for the next battle or two until they could procure another tent.

Most of the staves, magic tomes and axes had been saved, but the majority of the swords and lances, as well as roughly half of their other items, vulneraries and whatnot, had been lost.

It seemed that a little over half of the tents had been damaged beyond use too, which also annoyed Dusk, but it worked well for other reasons. ((Heh heh.))

He'd been drawing up a chart, a chart of who would have to share tents with whom, and once they set up camp... He would tell them. Oh yes, he could already imagine it, and this cheered the tactician as well, which contributed to his good mood. Now all he had to do was drop the news of shared tents to someone gossipy, and his plan would go perfectly...

Dusk cackled evilly at the thought, earning him several funny looks from the units surrounding him.

"What're you writing, Dusk?" asked Serra, sidling up behind him in a futile attempt to peer over his shoulder at the sheet of parchment which he had ordered Pent to magically waterproof so he could write as he walked, but as he was about 6', the shorter cleric couldn't see over his shoulder.

"Eh? Oh, Serra. Well-" he sighed dramatically, "-you know how-" his voice dropped to a whisper here, "-a certain lord-" he looked pointedly at the Witless Wonder, then continued normally, "-allowed Merlinus to be attacked because he disobeyed orders?"

"Uh huh. But what does this have to do with your paper?" Serra asked, completely captured.

Yes! thought Dusk. "Well, more than half of our tents were burned, so I'll have to draw up a sleeping chart... It's such a lot of work, though... I can't figure out whether some people would work out coupled together..."

"Oh!" Serra's eyes sparked in recognition. "I've got a few suggestions, actually..." She stood on her tiptoes and whispered several names into his ear.

Dusk's evil grin widened as he listened and nodded.

Yes. His plan was going perfectly.

"Hm..." He glanced down at his sheet, re-reading some of the names he'd written there:

Legault/Heath

Wil/Rath

Sain/Kent

Nino/Jaffar

Karel/Lucius

He smirked as he imagined the chaos, quickly scribbling down the names Serra was telling him... ((A/N: So, idk, if you have any pairings you want to see, review and I'll try to include them, as long as they don't involve any of the people above. Hm, a pairing with Karel... I dunno, it seemed like there was something going on with him and Lucius in their A support... But back to the story...))

* * *

By the time they arrived at the valley the pegasi sisters had spoken of, everyone was completely soaked, miserable and frozen, as the temperature had dropped steadily since it had begun to rain. 

"Hey, everybody! I've got good news!" Dusk exclaimed gleefully, standing before the assembled troops.

"Why is he always so blasted cheerful in these situations?" Hector grumbled to Lyn, who shrugged and replied,

"'Cause he's secretly evil?"

"As you all know, we had an unfortunate accident occur today. Our esteemed merchant and cook, Merlinus, was attacked and his tent was burned, along with about half of our total supplies, including tents and as such-" some people groaned, sensing what was coming next, "-I have drawn up a sleep chart detailing who will be sharing tents!"

Everyone groaned this time. How could the deranged tactician consider that 'good news'?!

"...Now I know why," Hector muttered to Lyn.

"He really is evil... Look at his expression! He's clearly enjoying this..." she grumbled, shivering a little.

"Anyway-" Dusk continued, ignoring everyone's groans, "-here's the list!!"

He pulled out a roll of parchment and began to read, "Sain and Kent will be sharing a tent, as will Wil and Rath, and Lucius and Karel, and Jaffar and Nino--"

"What?! What the hell?! I hardly think it's proper for two people of opposite gender to share a tent!" Eliwood burst out indignantly, evidently still smarting over Dusk telling him off earlier.

"Well-" Dusk fixed the Pheraen lord with an evil, patented 'Dusk' glare, "-unless I'm mistaken, no one else would be willing to take Nino's place, Lord Eliwood! No offence, Jaffar," the tactician added.

"..." Jaffar shrugged; it was common knowledge few trusted him.

"I'm actually fine with it, Lord Eliwood," Nino said. "Jaffar would never do anything! Right Jaffar?"

"...Yes," Jaffar acknowledged, nodding slightly.

"So, unless you'd like to share a tent with Jaffar, I suggest you wait quietly until I read who you're to share your tent with!" Dusk growled. "By the way, those who've been called may go to Merlinus, who'll distribute your tents. I've given him a copy of this list as well, so you'd better not try and change tent mates!" he added sternly.

"...Shouldn't you talk to him about that? It was... disrespectful of him to speak in such a fashion to Eliwood," Lyn murmured to Hector, shivering again.

"Yeah, whatever," Hector muttered absently, listening for his name.

"-Heath and Legault-" were announced when Lyn followed suit.

From behind the two blue-haired lords came a soft groan.

Hector didn't hear, but Lyn turned and saw a green-haired wyvern lord... Heath, that was his name. His wyvern was settled farther back, taking shelter in a copse of trees.

"Is there a problem, Heath?" asked Lyn. He bit his lip, she saw, probably a nervous habit.

"Hm? Oh, no, Lady Lyn. I'm fine," assured the knight.

"If you're sure.." she muttered, turning back at his quick nod.

* * *

As Dusk read off the rest of the people paired together, Heath felt a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach. 

Stop it, you're being ridiculous! he told himself, chewing on his lip anxiously. Really... He sighed and started looking around for Legault so they could go collect their tent.

"Hey," the thief greeted, spontaneously appearing beside him. He held a tent bag under his arm. "Sorry about all this hassle..."

"...It's all right," Heath muttered. "If you want, we can set up the tent over there in those tree-" he pointed to where Hyperion was sleeping, "-it should be slightly less wet."

"Yeah, I guess," Legault agreed, following him there.

"You shouldn't bite your lip," the thief remarked. "It's a bad habit, you know?"

Heath blinked. He'd been doing it unconsciously. "Oh, all right, mother," he replied, as he might have done back when he'd still been part of Bern's knights. "When you give up stealing, that is."

Legault looked startled. "Eh...?" Then he started to laugh. "Wow. You just made a joke! What're the odds?"

"Well, I tend to do that, from time to time," he mumbled as they walked under the branches of the first tree.

"...I was just, um, sh-shocked," Legault explained awkwardly.

Heath shrugged. "How about here?" he suggested, indicating a spot where the branches of two trees overlapped. "The sooner I can take off this armour, the better!"

Legault shivered. "I h-hate the cold," he agreed, shaking slightly.

They set up the tent quickly, and even in that short time Legault started to shiver even harder. He pulled his soaked cloak more tight about himself, teeth chattering uncontrollably.

"They're probably handing out dry rations, why don't I go get them?" Heath offered kindly. "You can go in and change into something dry and warmer too," he added, not as affected by the cold weather.

Legault nodded. "G-good idea," he muttered, immediately disappearing into the tent.

As Heath had expected, Merlinus had been granted a smaller tent and was dealing out rations. Heath got in line, shivering slightly. His metal armour sucked all the heat he had away from his skin, but he was somewhat used to it from the days he'd spent wandering with Hyperion.

"Um, I'm also getting rations for Legault," Heath said once it was his turn. Merlinus nodded, checked a sheet of parchment he had, then handed him two slabs of bread, an apple, an orange and two slices of beef jerky, as well as two empty cups.

"Thanks," Heath said and hurried back to the tent.

Carefully, the wyvern rider eased up the flap, and managed to get in.

Legault was sitting near the back, wearing only his boxers. ((Which of course they had back then!)) His clothes were piled in a heap near the entrance.

"...Don't you have any other clothes?" Heath asked, setting the food before him, then sitting down to eat.

"N-n-no," the thief shivered, hesitantly taking the apple.

"Really? How about a bedroll? Extra cloak?"

"D-destroyed in the f-f-fire," Legault explained, hugging himself with one arm.

Heath couldn't help but notice how pale the thief seemed in the dim light, his lips tinged blue from the cold. He was slender, as thieves tended to be, and what little bulk he did have was all muscle... Free of its bonds, Legault's hair hung down to the small of his back, and short, thin scars criss crossed all over his torso...

Heath's eyes travelled lower and he blushed slightly.

"U-um, you can wear one of my spare shirts. I... guess we'll have to share a bedroll, so I'd best go get it." He rose quickly and rushed outside, relieved that the rain soon cooled his burning face. He fumbled a little the the straps of the saddlebags but managed to get them off in the end.

It was colder now, he was certain of it as he rushed back to the tent.

The thief was still sitting there, trembling from the cold. He'd eaten all of his food in the short time Heath had been gone.

Heath dumped his pack and bedroll onto the floor, sat down and started to unbuckle the straps of his breastplate.

"Here, l-let me," Legault mumbled, crawling over to sit behind Heath. His entire body seemed to be shaking, yet he somehow managed to removed the wyvern lord's breastplate and shoulder armour.

"Thanks," Heath muttered gratefully as the thief began to remove the armour that protected his hips. He froze when Legault's hand brushed the inside of his thigh as he leaned over to takee off the armour over his shins.

"S-sorry," he stammered, drawing back, and Heath wasn't sure if the slip was from the cold or from embarrassment.

"It's... all right," he muttered, quickly removing his bracers and shin armour. He placed them carefully to the side of Legault's clothes before stripping off his boots.

His pants, shirt and socks quickly followed.

"How ca-can you wear that armour?" asked Legault, studying the objects in question. "It looks pr-pre-pretty heavy."

"You get used to it," Heath replied, rummaging through his pack. He produced a shirt and a pair of pants.

"...Um, hm... Why don't you have the shirt and I'll take the pants?" Heath suggested, glancing back at the thief.

"H-huh? Oh, y-yeah. Sure." Legault blushed and accepted the offered article of clothing. He quickly pulled it over his head.

Heath shrugged and put on his pants. He then unrolled the bedroll, which he seriously doubted would be able to decently fit both of them, and said, "You can get in, if you want.

The thief slithered in immediately, pulling the cover so far up that only the tip of his head was showing. The cover trembled violent, so Heath pulled out his extra blanket, earning an appreciative squeak as he settled it carefully on top before turning to his food.

He ate quickly, thinking thoughtfully ((yes! excellent! xD)) on what had happened that day.

Once he was finished, he carefully laid out his and Legault's clothes so that they'd be dry in the morning.

Satisfied, the wyvern lord carefully lifted the covers, only to discover that Legault was already asleep, curled into a ball for warmth.

Trying not to disturb the thief, Heath slipped in beside him, surprised at how cold it still was underneath.

Several moments after, Legault snuggled up against Heath, pressing his face against the other's chest. Heath shivered and froze, unsure of what to do, but the thief slept on peacefully, ignorant to how he was pressing his colder body against Heath's warmer one.

Another several moments after that, Heath relaxed enough to shift the slightly taller man into a more comfortable position before, rather hesitantly, wrapping his arms around the thief's shoulders and falling asleep as well, curled protectively around Legault...

* * *

Author's Note: Hm... Slightly shorter than the previous chapter, but I think I liked it... But that's beside the point. What really matters, dear reader, is if _YOU_ liked it, so go click the review button and tell me, OK? Or Dusk will do something violent. 

Dusk: Yeah. Like hit you over the head with my sheet of parchment. -rolls eyes- So watch out.

Me: ...Not exactly what I had in mind... o.O;;


	4. Chapter 3

Squee!! 1000 words longer than my previous chapter _without_ the A/N! Who knew:P

Big thanks to all who've reviewed so far... I'd say I loved you, but that would be creepy and web stalker-ish. Yes...

**_Disclaimer: Don't. Own. It._** Like you thought I did... -twitches- Or maybe I do(n't) and I'm just trying to mess with you... o.O

Dusk: Just get on with it!

Me: Shut up. Go back to your tent with Serra.

Dusk: I-I... -stalks off-

* * *

"...Ngh..." Legault mumbled, slowly coming awake. Why was he so warm? He was usually cold at night... 

He slowly opened his eyes, only to find himself cuddled up against Heath's (bare) muscular chest.

"...Shmuh?" he muttered sleepily, blinking slowly. "...Mm..." He snuggled closer, relishing the warmth he so seldom felt. He was always cold, except in near tropical temperatures.

The thief dozed, not wanting to move, but after a while Heath woke.

"...Huh?" the wyvern lord mumbled, glancing down slightly. "...Hm." He shifted slightly and started to get up when Legault raised his head. Heath froze and a blush slowly stained his cheeks bright red. "Uh, um," he stammered uncomfortably.

"Hey, Heath, there's a meeting at Dusk's tent..." Kent stuck his head in the tent flap, trailing off when he saw the... compromising position he and Legault were in. "...I'm not interrupting anything, am I?" he asked calmly.

"No!" Heath squeaked, which quite amused Legault. "I, uh, th-that is... We'll be right there."

Kent smiled slightly. "All right, see you there." He winked at Legault, who winked back.

"Agh! Stop it!!" Heath exclaimed, blushing all the more. "You'd better not mention this to anyone, especially not Sain!" he added. "Both of you!"

"Of course not. Remember, there's a meeting." Kent disappeared and they heard him walking away.

"Well?" Heath demanded of Legault, who grinned lazily in response. "Tch. Fine." Grumpily, the wyvern lord pulled on his now-dry shirt.

"You look like Christmas, all green and red," Legault drawled mockingly.

"I- Shut up!" snapped Heath as he quickly put on his armour and left, still blushing furiously.

Legault snickered and stretched, once again cold. "Darn..." he muttered, removing Heath's shirt. Slowly, he began to dress, not failing to notice that his clothes had been set out to dry.

Once dressed, he stepped outside...

Into snow. Deep snow, that came up to his knees.

"Argh! Not... snow..." he moaned. "That's worse than rain..."

"Hey! Uncle Legault!" Nino bounced up, smiling brightly at her 'uncle'. Jaffar was one step behind, silent as always.

"...Uncle..." he sighed, shivering. He pulled his cloak closer. "Stop calling me that, Nino..."

"Aw... But... You're like an uncle to me, Uncle Legault," she protested. "Besides, I've got some information you might like!"

"...Yeah? About what?" Legault asked, temporarily putting aside his dislike of her title for him in the face of possible gain.

"Well, you know Heath, right?" Nino asked innocently.

"...Yes, go on."

"So, I was talking to him yesterday before the battle, and he told me that he was lonely," Nino explained.

"...I thought you told me he said he was often alone with his wyvern?" Jaffar remarked, shifting a little in the snow.

"Oh, yeah, but he basically said he was lonely," Nino replied, shrugging. "C'mon, we're gonna be late for the meeting, you two!" And she bounded away, spraying them both with snow.

"..." Jaffar followed immediately, pausing only to shake off the snow.

"Hm..." Legault mumbled, brushing off the snow as he followed more slowly.

* * *

Heath tried to keep from flushing as Kent kept casting glances at him from his position beside Sain. 

"All right, is everyone here?" Dusk emerged from his tent with Hector and... Serra.

"Omigod, Nino, I loved your cloak!" squealed Serra. Everyone looked at Nino, who was wearing a dark blue cloak with a fur-lined hood. Legault and Jaffar were standing behind her.

"...Um, thanks!" Nino replied, looking slightly confused.

"...Serra," Dusk said warningly.

"Oops, sorry," Serra giggled.

"...Anyway, seeing as we're snowed in, I suppose you lot can take a break until it melts enough for us continue... Even though you don't deserve it..." grumbled Dusk, acting like a child who'd been told to stop whining. "So... Yes, do whatever you want for the next couple of days... But you have to... hunt, I suppose, for your food, because we're trying to conserve our supplies, since a lot were lost," he added when people started to cheer. "And... that's all. Have... fun. I guess." He seemed really awkward for some reason.

"Yay!" Nino exclaimed gleefully, and she ran off.

"..." Jaffar followed, only to be hit with a snowball. He blinked several times, looking shocked, during which time he was pelt with three more. Nino grinned innocently and ran between some tents as he ran after her.

Suddenly snowballs were flying everywhere, hitting everyone except Dusk and Serra, who'd disappeared into his tent. Heath wondered what they were doing when some shoved snow down his back. He turned angrily and saw a stricken-looking Kent.

"I-it was Sain!" he protested as Heath dumped him head first into a snow drift.

"Grr... Sain..." Heath muttered, helping him back out. The green-haired paladin was no where in sight.

"I believe we should get him back... But first, it might be wise to lose the armour," Kent suggested. "It's not really any help in a snowball fight, and I seriously doubt anyone's going to attack us."

"True... Let's meet back here," Heath added, ducking a snowball pelted at him by a smirking Matthew.

"All right," Kent agreed and they hurried off to their respective tents.

Heath slipped inside the tent, hoping Legault wouldn't be there. Besides, it wasn't like _he'd_ been the one to... to... Elimine, he couldn't even think the word! But Legault had started it, not him. That thief was... strange. He had seemed different yesterday evening, and Heath still wasn't sure how he should react.

He scowled and quickly took off his armour, placing it beside the entrance with a care he seldom showed before cautiously going back out.

As he had expected, the moment he stuck his head out the tent flap, a barrage of snowballs flew towards him. He quickly ducked back in as multiple people giggled and snickered.

Heath glanced around, but the only way out was the tent flap. With a resigned sigh, he burst through it as quickly as he could, getting hit by at least four of the cold projectiles before he even oriented himself. He grabbed a handful of snow and lobbed it at the nearest person – Karel.

Oops.

The strange sword master went ballistic and started chasing Heath around, wildly brandishing his sword until Heath managed to climb a tree to escape.

Karel walked under the tree, but Heath managed to conceal himself as best as possible, and the swordsman didn't see him.

"Who're you hiding from?" asked a good-natured voice from somewhere above him.

Heath glanced up and found the army's other thief, Matthew, staring down at him.

"Oh... Karel, actually," Heath replied, glancing back down.

"Ah... That's quite bad, then," Matthew muttered.

"Huh? Why's that?" the wyvern lord demanded, glancing back up.

"...Well, you know Guy, right? He's, um, chasing me too, and he and Karel... are kind of friends, if you can be friends with Karel, so if they team up..."

"Bad news..." Heath finished, chewing on his lip thoughtfully.

"Heh. That may be an understatement..."

They sat in silence, listening to the shrieks and yells of the other people as they ran about outside.

"Oh no! I forgot about Kent!" Heath exclaimed. "We were going to meet in front of Dusk's tent..." He sighed.

"Kent? You mean the red-armoured paladin with Lady Lyndis? I heard him a couple of minutes before I climbed up here, and I don't think he'll be missing you," Matthew told him.

"Huh? Heard him? What do you mean?" Heath asked, shifting into a more comfortable position.

"Well, I was strolling – well, running actually – past his tent and I heard the oddest sounds, so I took a peek... And he and Sain seemed quite enthralled with each other. So don't worry," the sandy-haired thief explained, grinning.

"...You're joking," Heath said faintly.

Matthew dropped down to the branch beside his. "Nope. Wanna see?"

"No!" Heath said firmly.

"Oh. Well, whatever. I guess I should get down, move to another hiding spot before guy finds me." With those words, Matthew sprang down, landing lightly in a crouch. He gave Heath a quick wave and ran off.

"...Hm, I should probably do that..." Heath mumbled. "Although he might be waiting for me to do just that... Wait, what am I worrying about?! I'm a wyvern lord, so if I can just reach Hyperion, I'll be fine!"

This thought firmly in his head, the former knight of Bern climbed down, cautiously checking for Karel, but he was nowhere in sight. Emboldened, Heath slipped off the last branch to the ground...

And was hit, in the head, not once, not twice, but three times by Bartre, Dart and Rebecca, who quickly ran away upon seeing his expression when the snow dripped off.

"Normal... archer... number three..." Rath laughed as he ran by, chased by Wil, who stumbled every few seconds as he scooped up another handful of snow with which to attack the fleeing Sacaen nomad.

"There you are..." said Karel, stepping out from behind a tree.

"...Look, Karel, I'm sorry, all right? I just threw the snowball at the first person I saw. You understand, right? You, um-" Heath faltered as Karel stalked forward, Wo Dao clutched in one hand, "-you do it all the time, you know? When you're killing. But I'm an ally, so, um-- Eep!" He actually let out a startled shriek when Karel suddenly pitched forward into the snow.

"Karel? Kaaaarrellll!?" someone called. Lucius the monk appeared. "Oh, Heath, have you seen Karel?" the rather feminine man asked.

"Um, he's right here," Heath said, pointing to the now-snoring Karel lying in the snow before him.

Lucius sighed, "Not again! Could I bother you to help me carry him back to our tent?"

"...Sure, why not. Could you tell him I didn't mean to hit him with a snowball though? I just threw it at the first person I saw..." Heath knelt beside the sword master and picked him up bridal-style.

"Oh, you're not the first... He practically hacked off Erk's arm, poor man... All right, I will." Lucius led him back through the rows of tents until they came to the one he was sharing with Karel.

"Put him on the bedroll, please," requested Lucius, holding the tent flap for him.

As gently as he could, Heath laid the raven-haired man on the bedroll. Lucius sat beside Karel, stroking his forehead and bangs. "What am I going to do with you...?" he mumbled. "You're worse then Lord Raymond..."

Heath felt uncomfortable, like he was seeing something he shouldn't, wasn't worthy to see. "I'll take my leave then, Lucius," he said, rising to exit.

"Say hi to Legault for me," the monk replied.

The wyvern lord froze and turned back to see whether the monk was mocking him or not, but saw that Karel's head was no in Lucius' lap, and the monk was humming softly, eyes closed, so Heath just left.

Outside was as it had been. Hector was giving Eliwood a face wash while Lyn and Florina watched, giggling.

Legault skidded by and grabbed Heath's arm. "Hide me!" he hissed frantically, looking around nervously.

"Why? From whom? he demanded, wondering why the usually cool thief was so wound up.

"Jaffar," Legault muttered, ducking behind him.

"Eh? Really? What'd you do?" Heath inquired. "Throw a snowball at him?"

"Well... yeah. Apparently only Nino is permitted the right to actually hit him."

"Funny, almost exactly the same thing happened to me, except Karel fell asleep before he could kill me and Lucius came along and asked me to carry him back to their tent. Oh, he says hi, by the way," Heath added.

"...Yeah? No kiddi-- Argh!"

Heath turned in time to see Jaffar tackle Legault to the ground.

"Uncle Legaaauuult! Jafaaaar!!" Nino called from several tents away. She spotted Heath and walked over.

"Hi! Have you seen Uncle Legault or Jaffar? You're Uncle's friend, right?" she asked, glancing around but somehow failing to notice the two former Black Fangs. Jaffar had Legault pinned and a hand over his mouth to silence him.

Legault was desperately signalling the wyvern lord with his eyes, so Heath said, "'Uncle'? Why Uncle? He's not _that_ old, is he?"

Legault's eyes bugged out indignantly and he started thrashing wildly, trying to attract Nino's attention.

"Oh, no, I think he's only about twenty... er... twenty... Well, twenty nine, I think, but even though he's around the same age as my brothers, he's a lot more mature," explained Nino matter-of-factly. "So, you're _sure_ you haven't seen them?"

"Yeah, they're right there, playing in the snow." Heath pointed to a couple of feet away from them.

"Oh! Uncle Legault, Jaffar, there you are! Stop suffocating him, Jaffar, it was just a little snowball. I hit you with way more, and they were way bigger."

"..." Jaffar got up and brushed himself off. "Hurricane is different," he explained calmly.

Legault got up too, shivering slightly. He was grumbling under his breath about an angel or something. Heath wondered if he'd hit his head on a block of ice or something. "Besides," he said more loudly, "I'm only twenty _seven_, not twenty nine!"

Jaffar cast him an evil glare, but the effect was somewhat ruined by the fact that his stomach growled an instant later.

Nino giggled. "I guess we'll have to hunt for a rabbit or something," she said.

"...I will," Jaffar said and walked off, ever one for eloquent words.

"Thanks for the help!" snapped Legault once he was out of earshot.

Heath shrugged. "Any time," he said mildly. "If you like, I could catch something with Hyperion for us to eat... But you'd have to cook. I'm terrible at it myself."

"...Sure. Why not? I'm going to try and build a fire to warm up," Legault muttered, stomping off. At one point, he fell through the snow bank, sinking about two feet. He walked normally for the rest of the way.

Heath shook his head and followed to get Hyperion.

The wyvern was sleeping under a deep blanket of snow, but it raised its head eagerly when its rider walked up.

"We're going hunting, Hyperion," Heath told it, brushing snow off of its wing membrane stuff.

"Why are you talking to it? It can't understand you anyway," Legault asked sulkily.

"...When I first left Bern, I was... I got sort of lonely, so I talked to Hyperion... Now that I say it out loud, it sounds pretty, well, pathetic..." he trailed off awkwardly.

"No, not at all. I understand the sentiment," Legault muttered, sounding embarrassed.

"So yeah. I guess I'd better get on with that hunting then," Heath said, shaking the less than good memories from his head. He grabbed his javelin and mounted Hyperion, who immediately rose into the air.

"Bye now! I hope you know you're taking my heart with you, you scoundrel!" Legault called after him in a disturbingly falsetto voice, waving a handkerchief he'd managed to procure from somewhere.

Heath choked and nearly fell out of his saddle.

"Hahaha! I'm joking!!" laughed Legault, disappearing into their tent.

"...He's strange," Heath mumbled to Hyperion as they flew over the snow-covered landscape. The cold, white stuff blanketed the plains they had been forced to cross to meet the mountains, hiding the broken bodies of the dead beneath a cover of shimmering white.

Heath shielded his eyes against the glare of the late morning sun off the snow, studying the area ahead intently. He couldn't remember the last time he'd just flown Hyperion not out of necessity, but just for the sensation of the wind in his face, blowing through his hair, yet it seemed it seemed cooler somehow...

They wyvern lord realised he's forgotten to put on his armour, but at the same time he highly doubted he'd be attacked; the deep snow rendered mobility nigh on impossible except for airborne units such as himself, and he'd be able to see them long before they reached him.

In the distance he spotted a herd of deer grazing serenely. With a grin, he pulled Hyperion higher into the air and they moved in for the kill...

* * *

Nergal scowled at the clouded crystal ball sitting on a pedestal before him. Damn that Athos! What sort of spell had his traitorous best friend employed this time...? He couldn't see anything at all of that Eliwood twerp and his band of mercenaries and friends, but there was no possible way his spell could have failed! 

The dark druid's scowl deepened as a loud scream brought him from his thoughts.

"Limstella!" the turban-wearing man called, rubbing a hand over his right eye.

"Yes, Master?" the morph asked mildly, walking into the room that held the Dragon's Gate. It was here he had set up his base, and the throne he would use to rule this world sat regally before the huge gates.

"Has he said anything of note? Anything at all, my pet?"

The golden-eyed sage shook her head. "Nothing, Master. You should just steal his quintessence and be done with him."

"Surely you jest! He's an old friend, and besides, I know how you love playing with men such as he," Nergal replied easily.

"Yes... that is true, Master," she agreed, bowing. "By your leave, I'll return to that useless archsage now, shall I?"

Nergal nodded and returned to glaring into his still-clouded scrying ball as another loud scream split the air.

From the shadows cast by the huge Dragon's Gate, golden and silver eyes watched the proceedings carefully, then disappeared... ((...Do I... maybe... sense a plot? omigoodness. What is the world coming to? xDD))

* * *

As Heath triumphantly returned to their camp, deer tied securely onto Hyperion's back, he noticed Jaffar sneaking up on an oblivious rabbit, knife in hand. 

Heath held his breath, awed in spite of himself as he watched the assassin stalk stealthily forward. He probably would have gotten it too, if, at the exact moment he'd been about to strike, a snowball hadn't been pelted right into the back of his head.

The rabbit ran off as Jaffar slowly turned to face the culprit – Legault. Either the lavender-haired thief learned very, very slowly, or his sense of self-preservation was sorely lacking.

Heath suspected the former, as Legault bolted immediately, Jaffar hot on his heels.

They wyvern lord chuckled under his breath and urged Hyperion to continue on back to the tent.

Nino was sitting outside, poking a fire with one of Heath's lances.

"Hey! What're you doing?!" exclaimed Heath once he'd landed.

"Oh! Yeah, sorry, I couldn't find any branches! ...I used the most beat up lance you had..." Nino added.

"...But you're surrounded by trees," he pointed out, rubbing a hand over his eyes with a sigh.

"Huh? Oh, I guess you're right. Sorry!" She giggled and handed him the now-useless weapon before she ran to get a branch.

"...What did she use for fuel then?" he muttered, dropping it into the snow. He grunted as he lifted the deer carcass up. "What're you doing here anyway, Nino?"

"Waiting for Uncle Legault and Jaffar," she explained, returning with a vicious-looking branch. "How this one, by the way?" she asked, waving it in his face.

"...Right. OK. But I think it'll be a while before they come back, Nino," Heath muttered, kneeling to begin skinning the beast.

"...I'm back," Jaffar announced quietly, appearing out of the trees.

"Where's Legault?" the wyvern lord asked, raising an eyebrow.

"..." Jaffar didn't answer. "I will skin and cook it since you did the hunting," he offered.

"Oh, all right," Heath agreed. He generally tried to avoid those jobs anyway. "I'll go look for Legault while you're doing that," he added.

"OK! Come back as soon as you find him, Heath. Try to find him before sundown!" Nino said.

Heath nodded. "Don't let anyone else have any of that."

"...I won't," Jaffar said, and the wyvern lord walked off, leaving their lunch and dinner in the assassin's capable hands.

* * *

Legault shivered as a brisk breeze blew through the trees, ruffling his hair and clothes. With his luck, it would start snowing at any moment. 

The thief sighed, reflecting on the events that had led him to his current, less than wonderful predicament.

* * *

_Legault was calmly sitting before the fire he'd built, warm for once, when Matthew had walked up._

_The two thieves had little to do with each other, but they weren't enemies or anything like that._

_"Hey," said Matthew, dropping down to sit beside him. "Fancy a little wager?"_

_"...Well, I'm not much of a gambler," replied Legault, absently doodling in the snow with one finger. "What for?"_

_"If you ambush Jaffar with a snowball and return to tell the tale by sundown... I'll help you with Heath," the sandy-haired thief said._

_"And why would I need any help with Heath?" Legault asked mildly, not stopping his doodling._

_"You tell me, Legault," Matthew replied with a smirk, pointing at his absently-written doodle._

_"Eh...?" Legault looked down at the doodle, shocked at what he saw. "Wha... Huh?!"_

_Matthew snickered. "Hm. Your lettering is quite masterful. Perhaps your true calling is actually the life of a scribe...?"_

_The lavender-haired thief didn't even hear, so shocked was he._

_"Hey, Uncle Legault-- Oh, wow! Letters! I wonder if I can read them, Uncle Canas has been teaching me a lot..." She knelt down and examined the word Legault had written in the snow._

_"Hm... I'm not used to such curly and fancy letters... It says... Um... He- Hear? No, um... Hea-something. Heaf? Heaph? Hea... Heath! It says Heath! Wow, Matthew, I didn't know you liked him," Nino giggled._

_Matthew snorted. "_I_ don't!"_

_"Huh? Then why's it in a heart... Oh." Nino eyes widened as the realisation struck. "Uncle Legault..."_

_"Sh!" Legault hissed, recovering finally. "Don't... Don't say a word!" he growled, quickly dashing the snow away._

_"Ugh, you're so stubborn. How odd. C'mon, Nino, back me up here! I've offered to help him if he manages to attack Jaffar with a snowball and returns to tell me by sundown," Matthew explained, smirking again._

_"But he already did that," Nino said._

_"Oh. well, then the odds of him succeeding are even higher! Ready, my good thief?" He pulled Legault to his feet and clapped him on the shoulder._

_"Yeah, I'll help too! Now all that time you spent with Linus makes sense..." Nino muttered._

_"...Nino!" Legault snapped._

_"Oops!" She giggled. "Sorry! You'd better hurry, there's no telling what you'll have to do to avoid Jaffar, so you'd better go now, even if it's only like 1 o'clock!"_

_Legault scowled. "Where's your tent anyway, Matthew?"_

_"Hm? Oh, it's over by Dusk's tent, but Rath and Wil's is right beside mine, so don't go in there," Matthew added._

_"Really? Why?" asked clueless Nino._

_"Well, they do interesting things beside string bows and fletch arrows in there," Matthew replied, winking._

_"All right, all right, whatever. I'm going now," Legault grumbled, walking off. "Keep the fire going, Nino!" he added over his shoulder. Matthew was already gone._

* * *

"C-c-cold! Damn you, Matthew!" growled Legault, swaying slightly in the breeze. All the blood was rushing to his head and his ears were roaring, but thank Elimine he wasn't afraid of heights, or he'd probably be in an even worse situation... Not that hanging upside down about fifteen feet up, bound tightly and held in place by a (loosely) tied rope around his feet was exactly excellent either, but thieves couldn't be choosers when it came to ticked-off assassins. 

He sighed, shivering more. He hoped someone would come by and see him, hopefully someone with the means to untie him and help him down.

"Argh... Why did I even agree to this?! I'm a (former) Black Fang! I don't need the help of some... some... _Ostian_ spy!" Legault grumbled to himself, shaking his head a little. He hoped he wouldn't pass out. "It's not like I even like that wyvern rider anyway! He's just fun to annoy, and it would be useful to have him around... And he's warm... Argh!! Stop! I do _not _like--" He broke off as Heath spontaneously walked through the trees.

"Hey, Heath," he said gratefully.

"Looks like you're still alive," Heath responded.

"Can't complain," Legault agreed.

Heath remained silent, looking pensive for several moments. Legault hoped Matthew or Nino hadn't said anything to him.

"Legault, what is it that you want from me?" Heath asked finally.

"Hmm..." Legault muttered. "One reason is self-interest. Whether I'm working in this army or I'm dodging Black Fang pursuers, it makes sense to have a wyvern rider close at hand. Few soldiers can match your ferocity on the field. Of course, it does complicate matters that you are being pursued," he added.

"I imagine so. I'm being hunted by my homeland. There's a price on my head. Being close to me isn't like lying on a bed or roses," Heath agreed.

"The same is true of me as well. Many of the Black Fang would see me dead if they could," he said, not without bitterness. "Look, why don't we help each other out? Lend a hand dealing with our respective foes?"

Heath bit his lip and Legault had to resist the urge to make fun of him for it.

"My enemy is the strongest army division on the continent. No matter how you look at it, I'd say you're getting the short end of the stick. Why would you agree to do all that for me?" he asked.

Legault answered without thinking. "Hm? Must be this thing called 'love', you know?"

He panicked when Heath, looking shocked, started to turn away. "Where are you going! I'm joking!! Get back here."

"..." Heath studied the upside down thief warily.

Legault sighed. "Just let it go, all right? Come on, I like you," he said. "Even on the run, you're true to your principles," he added hastily as the wyvern lord turned to leave again. "You're recklessly honest. That's from someone who simply cannot do that..."

"..." Heath still made no reply.

"Friendship between fugitives... What do you say?" the thief prodded.

"You're one weird guy..." Heath muttered, turning to leave again.

"No!! Wait! At least get me down from here first!" protested Legault desperately.

* * *

A/N: Yeah! Another chapter, done! I'm so proud... -sniffles and dabs at her eyes- 

So, what'd you think of the random attempt at a plot I managed to sneak in there? xD

Again, comments, concerns, suggestions? The review button is mere inches below these words, dear readers.


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